Ethnic differences in antihypertensive medication use in the elderly

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Optimal hypertension treatment in the elderly requires understanding interethnic differences in medication use.
• Previous research has not fully elucidated these patterns in very old populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate interethnic variations in antihypertensive drug use among community-dwelling adults aged 77 years and older.
• To identify predictors of antihypertensive medication use across different ethnic groups in the elderly.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 281 non-Hispanic white, black, and Hispanic adults aged >=77 years in Galveston County, TX.
• In-home interviews assessed blood pressure and antihypertensive medication use.
• Statistical analysis adjusted for age, gender, education, income, insurance, physician visits, and cognitive function.

Main Results:

• Antihypertensive medication use was 62.9% in non-Hispanic whites, 60.2% in blacks, and 45.2% in Hispanics (p < 0.027).
• Hispanic ethnicity remained significantly associated with lower drug use (OR 0.41; 95% CI 0.19 to 0.90) after adjustments.
• Predictors of lower use varied by ethnicity, including age/income in whites, cognition/visits in blacks, and insurance in Hispanics.

Conclusions:

• Hispanic ethnicity is significantly associated with lower antihypertensive drug therapy use in the elderly compared to non-Hispanic whites.
• These findings highlight ethnic disparities in hypertension management among older adults.
• Further research is needed to address barriers to medication adherence in Hispanic elderly populations.